Tenter machine



Feb. 14, 1939. J. H. WILLIAMS. JR 2,147,115

TENTER MACHINE Filed May e, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY.

Feb. 14, 1939.

J. H. WILLIAMS. ,JR

TENTER MACHINE Filed May e, 1938 Q Qj 1 E 'HTII Q 3-3 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Feb. 14, 1939.

J. H. WILLIAMS. JR 7 2,147,115

TENTER MACHINE Filed May e, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR. MzfifiZ/zww. a BY 4122247 Q ATTORNEY.

Feb. 14, 1939. WILLMMS JR 2,147,115

TENTER MACHINE Filed May 6, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTQR ATTORNEY.

Feb. 14, 1939 J H. WILLIAMS. JR 2,1 7,115

TENTER MACHINE Filed May e, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet s ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 14, 1939 UNl TED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,147,115 TENTER MACHINE John H. Williams, Jr., Providence, R. I.

Application May 6, 1938, Serial No. 206,445

6 Claims.

Another novel feature of the invention is that the rails are composed of relatively hinged connected together sections with the ends of the sections being guided for longitudinal movements on saddles which are transversely adjustable.

This permits the rails to elongate and contract under varying temperature conditions with a sliding action whilst held in alignment without straining the supports therefor.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of a novel sprocket and chain construction that facilitates the employment of sprockets of larger diameter than heretofore possible. This is desirable for smoothness and efficiency in operation and contributes to the attaining of high speeds.

As a still further feature of the invention, the rails at the delivery end of the machine need not be arranged in the customary diverging relation so that the clips may properly release the cloth on opening. That is to say, by reason of the novel construction of this invention the gates of the clips are moved to open position as they engage with the sprockets and thereby thewhole length of the machine is utilized which makes for efficiency.

According to a still further feature of'the invention, driving units for the chains are provided at opposite sides of the machine which are supported and guided for transverse relative movements. The construction is such that the driving units and rails be simultaneously adjusted.

Various and numerous other objects and advantages and novel features of construction will be' observed from the following description of the invention in the form thereof at present preferred,

reference being made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a small scale plan view of a tenter machine embodying the novel features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view at the delivery end of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the delivery end of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevational view on the 5 line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 5 and6 are sectional elevational views on the lines 5-5 and 66 of Fig. l;

- Figs. 7 and 8 are sectional elevational views on the lines 'I1 and 8 8 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged sectional elevational view on the line 9-9 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 10- is a side elevational View of a tenter p;

Fig. 11 is an inverted plan view of the tenter clip shown in Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a sectional plan view on the line l2-l2 of Fig. 10;

VFig. 13 is an enlarged plan view of the end portion of one side of the machine at the delivery end of the machine; and

Fig. 14 is a side elevational view of the end portion of the machine shown in Fig. 13.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the invention will be described more fully.

In Fig. l, which is a plan view, the' entering end of the machine is indicated by E and the delivery end is indicated by D. Side rails which are constructed as described extend longitudinally of the machine and these guide and support endless chains formed by connected-together clips 0, such as shown in Figs. 10 to 12 inclusive.

The inner runs of the chains travel to the left in Fig. 1 and the gates of the clips are opened at the entrance end of the machine to grip the edges of the materialsuch as cloth to be transported through the machine. The gates are then opened again at the delivery or discharge end of the machine to release the cloth.

The rails are adjustable towards and away 4 from one another in the manner to be described and the chains are driven at'the delivery end of the machine in the embodiment of the invention being described.

The delivery end of the machine will now be described with particular reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3, 9, 13 and 14.

Side brackets such as 2, one at either side of the machine, and an intermediate bracket 4 have journaled therein a shaft 6 and this shaft may be driven in any desired manner as by a pulley 8. A transverse supporting and guide plate or plates [0 extend between the brackets and are secured thereto and to other brackets l2 associated therewith so as to provide a strong, rigid 5 supporting and guiding structure for transversely movable drive units I4. I

The units I4 are in the form of housings or casings I6 (see Fig. 9) the lower ends I8 of which rest on guide plate I0. Gibs 20 beneath plate I0 are secured to members 22 which are fixed to the housings and the construction is such that the units may be moved back and forth on the member I0 and are held against upward movements.

Worm gears such as 24' are rotatably mounted in the housings and worms 26 in engagement therewith slidably receive shaft 6. There may be a key or keys 28 so that the worms 26 are retated by said shaft, yet the units may be moved on the guide I0 and along said shaft 6.

A shaft such as 30 connected to the worm gear 24 extends upwardly from the housing. Rail These cross members are supported at 9 po-' site ends by means of stands. or brackets such as 48 in Fig. 3. The cross members are fixed to the stands 48, and the stands are fixed to the floor or foundation.

Slidable on the cross members are saddles 52, there being. one saddle at each side of the machine, one' for each rail. A typical saddle is shown in Fig. 5. j V V W 1 7 Between webs 54 in the'saddles52 are nuts, such as 56, which are in engagement with threaded transverse rods such as 58, 60, 62 and 64. As the rods are rotated the saddles may be moved back and forth on the cross members to adjust the tenter chains for material of various widths.

The rails at opposite sides of the machine are I made in sections, the delivery end section being designated by 64', the intermediate section or sections by 66, and the entrance end sections by 68. The rail sections are made up from a number of members for lightness as distinguished from the heavy cast rails of the prior art machines and the adjacent ends of adjacent sections are hinged together for flexibility and for other reasons. V

The sections 64'. at the delivery end of the machine are fixed to the saddles on which they rest so that said sections may not move longitudinally relative to said saddles and cross members 40 while the other sections may move as the rails elongate and contract due to temperature changes. The-said othersections may move because their opposite ends which are hinged -to' ber I4 is slidable on the saddle forwardly thereof there being a rear member of one rail sectionand a forward member of the section rearwardly thereof on a saddle. An ear I6 of the rear member 12 overlies an ear I8 of the forward member I4,

These ears receive pivot members 80 whereby they are hingedly connected and the members 80 are in blocks 82 which are slidably guided in the saddles. Thus the hinged together members 74 and 16 are guided for movements transversely of the saddles and longitudinally of the machine.

Intermediate members such as 84 are provided for each rail section. Secured to the members of each rail section and extending longitudinally of the machine so as to constitute unitary sections are members 86, 88, 90 and 92, (see Figs. 1, 5, 6 and 8). These provide the means for supporting and guiding the tenter chains.

The clips C forming the chains, as in Figs. 10 to 12 inclusive, include bodies 96 which slide in" channels 98 formed by the members 86, 00 and 92 while inwardly or rearwardly extending flanges 98' of said clips slide beneath members 88 and plate parts I00 of the clips slide over the upper sides of the member 86.

Gates I02 of the clips pivoted at I04 cooperate with the plate parts to engage the marginal edge of material. to be engaged by the openers which swing said stems outwardly and the gates inwardly to release material engaged between the gate and plate.

Upper and lower ears I08 and H0 at opposite ends'of the clips are provided and between these are received one end of upper and lower plates H2 and H4. Bushings II6 associated with the plates receive pins H8 which pass through the.

lugs of the clips. Each pair of plates is connected to the adjacent lugs of adjacent clips so that endless chains are formed by alternate clips and pairs of plates.

The members I4 of the sections at the delivery end of the machine are secured to the saddle on cross member 40. Members I20 of the rail sections at the entrance end of the machine are slidable on saddles which support them in the manner described and these members and the members 86, 88, 90 and 92 secured to end members I22 constitute entrance end sections.

A plate I24 slidable in each member I22 carries ashaft I26 on which is an opener I21 and a sprocket therebelow. The sprockets at the entrance end of the machine are similar to those at the delivery end and will be understood from the description to follow.

A plate member I28 (see Fig. 4) beneath member I22 is secured to plate I24 by a part I30 and a slot I32 of the member I22 so that the assembly may move back and forth and a weight I34 suspended on the end of a flexible member I36 which passes around sheave wheels I38 and I40 and has its end secured to plate I 28. The weight urges the plate I24 to the right so as to tighten tih: tenter chain passing around sprocket on shaft The rod 64 is rotated independently of the other rods so that the rails at the entrance end of the machine may be independently adjusted by means of a hand wheel I42.

A hand wheel I44 on one of the rods such as facilitates rotation thereof and a gear I46 in mesh with a gear I48 on shaft I50, rotatable in bearings I52, brings about rotation of said shaft I50. Other gears I54 and I56 on the rods 58 and 62 and shaft I50 serve to connect them together so that by turning the hand Wheel I44 the deliv ery end section, driving units, and intermediate Upstanding stems I06 are adapted sc ens be o e t wa ds a av o n an ther s mult n us y.-

The novel sprocket will now be described and it will be understood that those at the entrance and delivery end of the machine are generally similar except possibly for difference in diameter. The teeth I60 of the sprocket consist of central more or less pointed Darts I62 at the sides of which are sockets or seats I64 and between the teeth there are pockets or recesses I66. The

sprocket enters between the plates H2 and N4 of the links between and connecting the tenter clips and the bushings or rollers 6 enter and seat in the seats I64 of the sprocket teeth with the bodies 96 in the recesses I56 without necessarily fitting therein.

With this construction the chain fits around the sprocket snugly and with a proper fitting of the parts. Not only may the machine operate at high speed due to the smoothness and accuracy of the chain and sprockets but the sprockets may be smaller in diameter than has been possible heretofore. Also it is not necessary that the rails at the delivery end of the machine be disposed in diverging relation in order to facilitate proper opening of the clips and which being the usual procedure results in a loss in effective length of the machine. In this construction, as the clips pass onto the sprockets they are opened directly and efficiently.

With the chain passing around the sprockets the clips are opened by the openers at the entrance end of the machine to grip the edges of the material and the clips are again opened at the extreme end of the delivery end thereof.

The driving units and rails are adjustable simultaneously and the said rails being constructed as they are not ofextreme weight it is possible to construct a machine which is light in weight and by reason of the construction is efficient in operation and capable of operating at high speed with the rails mounted for longitudinal movements without impairing the distance apart to which they are adjusted.

While I have described the invention in great detail and with respect to the present preferred form thereof, it is not desired to be limited thereto since many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A tenter machine comprising in combination, spaced lower cross-members, a pair of saddles slidably guided on each of said members for movements towards and away from one another, an upper cross-member fixed tothe saddles on an endmost cross-member, a pair of upper crossmembers on the saddles of each pair, pivotal and guiding means connecting each of the cross-members of each pair and the saddle therebelow, means for simultaneously moving the saddles of each pair, rail members extending between said first and second-named upper cross-members, all adapted and arranged whereby the second named cross-members may move transversely of the saddles and longitudinally of the machine as the rails elongate and contract.

2. A tenter machine comprising in combination, spaced lower cross-members, a pair of saddles guided for movements longitudinally of said cross-members, an upper cross member fixed to each saddle on an endmost cross-member, pairs of upper cross-members on the saddles of each pair, pivotal connections between the said upper cross-members of each pair, guiding means associated with the pairs, of upper cross-members and the saddles therebelow facilitating movement of the said upper cross-members transversely of' the saddles and longitudinally of the machine,v rail members secured to the adjacent upper cross-members on the saddles of adjacent lower cross-members forming therewith pivoted together rail sections extending betweenthe saddles of adjacent lower cross-members, and operating means connecting said saddles whereby the saddles of the pairs may be moved back and forth towards and away from each other.

3. A tenter machine comprising in combination, spaced lower cross-members, a pair of saddles guided for longitudinal movements on each of said cross-members, an upper cross-member fixed to each saddle of the pair on an endmost lower cross-member, pairs of upper cross-members on the saddles of each other pair thereof, the said upper cross-members of each pair having overlapping ears, pivot pins extending through said ears, the saddles of said each other pair thereof provided with transverse grooves, blocks slidable in said grooves and pivotally receiving said pivots, rail members extending between and secured to the upper cross-members of the saddles of adjacent lower cross-members forming with said upper cross-members pivoted together, rail sections extending between adjacent lower cross-members.

4. The combination in a tenter machine of, spaced cross-members, a pair of saddles on each member guided for longitudinal movements thereon, pairs of upper cross-members on each saddle, groups of separate rail members secured to and extending between opposite ends of the upper cross-members of the saddles on adjacent lower cross-members forming rail sections with said cross-members, each group including an outer vertical member, an intermediate horizontal member and an inner horizontal member disposed above the plane of the intermediate member forming a guide channel for supporting the outer and inner runs of a tenter machine.

5. A tenter machine comprising in combination, spaced endmost frames and spaced side frames, cross-members secured to and extending between said frames, pairs of saddles on each cross-member with the saddles of each pair slidable thereon towards and away from one another, rail sections extending between said saddles pivoted together with the rail sections on the saddles of the endmost frames having extensions therebeyond, a shaft, a driving shaft rotat-able in the endmost frames, a guideway extending between said frames, separate drive units slidable on said guideway o-peratively and slidably connected to said drive shaft, sprocket shafts extending from said units through said extensions, sprockets on said shafts, and adjusting means operatively connected tosaid units and said saddles to facilitate movements of the units and saddles of each pair towards and away from one another. a

6. A tenter machine comprising in combination, spaced endmost frames and spaced side frames, cross-members secured to and extending between said frames, pairs of saddles on each cross-member with the saddles of each pair slidable thereon towards and away from one another, rail sections extending between said saddles pivoted together with the rail sections on the saddles of the endmost frames having extensions therebeyond, a shaft, a drive shaft rotatable in 4 7 want the endmost frames, a guideway extending beto facilitate movements of the units and saddles of each pair towards and away from one another, the said drive units including housings enclosing worms rotatable therein in mesh with worm gears on said sprocket shafts.

JOHN H. WILLIAMS, JR. 

